In 333 BC Alexander of Macedon defeated the Persian king Darius III at Issus, in what is now southern Turkey. The next year he marched down the coast of the Levant toward Egypt, which had been under Persian rule again since 343 BC.
Key idea
Alexander the Great took Egypt from Persia in 332 BC: the Persian governor gave it up without a fight. Alexander visited the oracle of Amun at Siwa and founded Alexandria (331 BC), then left to continue his war.
Why there was no great battle
The Persian satrap in Egypt, Mazaces, had few troops after Issus and no hope of help. He surrendered the country. Many Egyptians had no love for Persian rule, and Alexander took care to honor Egyptian gods: Greek writers say he sacrificed to the Apis bull at Memphis.
Siwa and Alexandria
- Siwa: Alexander crossed the desert to the oasis of Siwa, whose oracle of Amun (the Greeks called him Zeus Ammon) was famous across the Greek world. Ancient writers say the priest greeted him as the son of the god. What was asked and answered was private, and later writers disagree.
- Alexandria: on the coast west of the Delta, between the sea and Lake Mareotis, Alexander founded a city that became the capital of Egypt for nearly a thousand years.
- A pharaoh: Egyptian temples gave Alexander royal titles and cartouches. Later his half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus and his son Alexander IV were named in cartouches too, and a granite shrine at Karnak bears Philip's name.
Why it works
A conqueror who wanted to rule Egypt, not just raid it, needed the support of its temples and people. Being greeted as the son of Amun, and named as pharaoh in Egyptian temples, put Alexander in the place of the king in the Egyptian order. His successors, the Ptolemies, followed the same path.
Worked example: Counting the years
Persia reconquered Egypt in 343 BC, and Alexander arrived in 332 BC. How long did the second Persian rule last?
- Both dates are BC, so subtract the smaller from the larger.
- 343 − 332 = 11.
Answer: About 11 years.
Alexander left Egypt in 331 BC and died at Babylon in 323 BC. His general Ptolemy took charge of Egypt and brought Alexander's body to be buried there.
Common mistake
Thinking Alexander fought a great battle for Egypt. The Persian governor gave it up without a fight; the great battles were at Issus before, and Gaugamela after.